Lever-latch.



E- SMITH.

LEVER LATCH. APPLICATION FILED APR- 17. 1911.

1,143,452. ted June 15, 1915' .1.

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1 Specification of Letters eaten. te t d J e 15, 1915.

Application filed April 17, 1911. SeriaI No. 621,549.

To all whom it maycohcem." 1.

V l Be it lmown that I, 'AsaE. SMi'rn, citi 'zen of the United States, residing at Hillsboro, in the county" of Hilland State of Texas, havev invented a new: and useful Lever-Latch, of which the following-is a specification.

" This invention relates generally to hand levers such as "are usually provided with notched segments and a latch toengage the segment and "therebylock theilever any positionto which ithas been moved. Such 4 y the latch mechanism by means of Whichthe levers arelusedlfor. example on motor cars for-shiftin'gthetransmlssion gear and for controlling the brakes. p The invention relates rmore specifically to l v lever is locked to the segmentllf So far as 1 am aware, thislatch mechanism for. locking the lever to" the segment has consisted heretoforeof a single latch'which is intended to engagethe'teeth of the segment and which is releasedwhendesired by means of a suitable latch handle which is mounteduponthe controlling leveri The disadvantageswhich I have discovered in a single-locking latch are, first, that-it does not permit a fine H enough adjustment of the controlling'lever,

as said lever must necessarily be moved a distance from-onenotch on the segment-to the next notch before. it can belocked in position, and second, that if-'it"shouldbecome broken, the efficiency ofthe controlling lever would be greatly impaired: V

The object of thepresent invention is to overcome the disadvantages above. set'forth and this object is accomplished in the-preferred form of'the invention means of a v plurality of locking devices*or- -latches 40 the controlling lever, whereby "any'one -ofsaid latches can :be caused tosbecome engaged mounted for independent" operation upon with the segment, 5 it being g;preferable,

although not essential to provide a common latch handle for releasing all of the latches;

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby, without altering the usual I arrangement of the notches or teeth lIL-lillfl segment, the controllingylever may be moved a distance Which-is either less or more than the distance betweentthe two notches inothersegment and then looked in position, this flexibility of adjustment b ing possible by the use of a plurality of look ing latches, either oneof which may be brought into action at will by the operator.

Withthe foregoing and other objects in view which-will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combinationand' arrangement of parts andin the details of construction hereinafter de- I scribed and claimed,it being understood that changes in theprecise embodiment of invention herein disclosed can be made Within' the scope of what is claimed Without departing from the spirit of the invention.

in "the accompanying drawing forminga part of" this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of faTcontrol-ling lever equipped Withtheimprovement of the present inven- 'tion;-Fig.-2 is af'sectional view taken at a right angle to Fig. {1 n alongitudinal line through the'c'ontrolling lever; Fig; 3 is a view on an enlarged scale, in front elevation, partly broken away, showing a plurality of locking latches, the right hand "latch being shown in its advanced position toengage one'of the notches in the segment, the left handlatch, of course, resting on the-high-part of the segment between two notches; Fig; 4 is'a section on'the line Y- Y ojf-Fig. 3; and'Fig. 5 is a section on the line ofFig. 3."

Like a reference numerals indicate corresponding parts in the several figures ofthe drawings.

)The 'controllingleveris indicated generally bythe reference letter A and may be of any suitable form and construction. The lever A is fulcrumed; at 1 and cooperates with the usual segment 2 formed, with notchesdintendedto receive the latchof the controllinglever,

' notches in the segment.

serves in conjunction with the lower end of the plate 4 to straddle the segment 2 and thus hold the locking latches 8 and 9 in proper relation thereto, so that either one'of said latches may slip into one of the notches 3. It will be understood, of course, that the locking latches 8 and 9 are arranged in such manner that it will be impossible for both of them to engage the segment at once, but

guide opening 13 inthe upper guide means 6 of the plate 4 and is formed at itsiupper end with a longitudinal slot 14. Extending through the longitudinal slots 14: of the stems '12 of the two latches 8 and 9 is what may be termed a stirrupvmember 15, the function of which is to rel'easeorwithdraw the latches from their engagement with the segment 2 when it is desired to move the controlling lever. The stirrup 15 at one-of its ends is bent to form aloop 16 and the other end. is shapedto form a resilient tongue orclosure 17 for the loop 16. The loop 16 is engaged with an eye 18on the lower end of a releasing rod 19 which ex tends upward through a suitable ear or guide 20 and is connected at 21 with a latch handle 22 which may be of any suitable form and construction,fand preferably is pivoted upon the lever A, as indicated at 23. r The function of the slot 1 L, when in the stems 12 of the two latches, is topermit movement of each latch independent of the other, and yet to cause the single stirrup member 15 to withdraw whichever one of the. latches is in lowermost position. As shown in Fig. 1, the right hand latch, when it moves downward to engage one of the notches, pulls the stirrup member 15 down with it. The slot 14- in the left hand notch, permits the stirrup member 15 to move downward in the manner indicated. U j

The means for positively throwingeither oneof the latches 8 or 9 in engagement with one of the notches 3 of-the lever 2 preferably consists of a coiled .spring 24 which surrounds the stem 12 of each of the latches, said coiled spring hearing at its lower end againstthe head ofthe locking latch, and at its upper end against the guide means or bridge 6, the tendencyofjthe spring being to expand so as to normally force the latch with which it is connected downwardly, thereby servingnot only to throw the latch into en- 9 is in engagement with the segment 2 will be released. If it be then desired to move the controlling lever A a distance equal, say,

to approximately half the distance .between the notches3, said lever is moved only far dle 22, whichever one of the latches 8 or enough to let the other latch snap into the same notch. That is to say, as shown in Fig.

1, the right hand latch-.Aisi'n engagement with 'a. notch in.the segment '2. By :merely operating the latch handle-22 towithdraw' the right hand 'latch'member from the notch of the segment, lever A can then be thrown a slight distance to thelright, and the left hand latch 9 will snap into the samenotch.

On the other hand, supposing, with-the parts shown in the position shown in Fig. 1, it is desired to move the controlling lever to-thef' right a distance greater than :one notch and less than two notches, it is only necessary to release the right hand latchiand move'the lever A to the right, holding 'therlat'ches". in

retracted position untilthelatchlS has passedover the next notchto'the right, at whichtime by releasing the-handle22, the

left hand latch 9 will slip into the notch of the segment2 and lock the lever.

, Itis needless to say that the longitudinal slots 14: in. the upper; ends of the stems 12 serve-to permit the latches 8. and 9 to move relatively-to the stirrup'15, so that oneof said latchescanbe advanced when the other isretracted, as shown in Fig. 3.

w The lever lock of the present invention is i 7 strong, simple, durable, and. comparatively inexpensivein constructlon, as well as thoroughly efiic ent and flexible 1n operation.

Moreover,.it is obvious that should one of thelatches be .accidentally'broken at any time, the'oth'er latch could be used until the broken one, could be-repaired..

What is claimed is I 1. An attachment for segment levers com- V prising an elongated platehaving longitudinally spaced guides, apairof individually movable latches slidablein oneguide and having stems-'slidable-through the other guide,

coiled wire-expansion springs 1 surrounding h the stems and seating against the latches and last mentioned guide, the stems having elongated slots at that side of the last mentionedguideremote fromthe springs, and

said slots.

2. An attachment for segment levers coma loop shaped member engaged. through the 1 through the said guide, the latch stems having elongated longitudinal slots, and aloopshaped member engaged through the slots taining element for holding the hook in en- Witnesses: gagement With the actuating member. FRED J. SHIPLEY,

In testimony that claim the foregoing J NO. S. HENDERSON.

and having crossed'arms one arm teiminaiias my own, I have hereto aifixed my signaing in a hook for engaging an actuating ture in the presence of two Witnesses. member and the other arm'projecting toward the bill of the hook toserve as are- ASA SMITH Copies ot thir patent may be obtained for five centseach, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

, 1 j V -Washington,D.0. 

